Sheriff John Budensiek said investigators believe the alleged abuse may have lasted about two years.
STUART, FL — A 20-year-old Stuart man is being held in the Martin County Jail after investigators said he had sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl, a case the sheriff said began with a report from the child’s mother.
Henry Perez-Robiero was arrested after the girl’s mother caught him with the child over the weekend, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said. The sheriff said investigators do not believe the case was a single incident. He said the conduct may have started when the girl was 10, placing the possible timeline at about two years. Perez-Robiero was being held without bond, and the sheriff’s office said an immigration detainer had been placed on him.
Budensiek described the case as one involving access through people close to the child, not an online encounter. “Someone that would take advantage of a child, these are terrible human beings,” Budensiek said. He said Perez-Robiero, who authorities described as from Guatemala, had some connection to the family and was able to get near the girl through that relationship. The sheriff said that part of the investigation remains central because detectives are working to determine how long the contact lasted, what adults knew and whether there were earlier warning signs before the mother reported what she saw.
The sheriff’s office has not released the girl’s name, and details about the child’s family are being withheld because of her age and the nature of the allegations. Budensiek said investigators believe Perez-Robiero already had access to the child through people she knew. “This was not an online chatter that we know of,” Budensiek said. “There was a family connection where it looks like he had some relationship with the family, and he latched onto the 12-year-old girl.” Authorities did not release a full arrest report or a detailed charging document in the public account of the case Wednesday night. The exact criminal counts pending against Perez-Robiero were not listed in the sheriff’s public statement.
The arrest came as the Martin County Sheriff’s Office has been speaking publicly about child exploitation cases and recent undercover work. Budensiek contrasted this case with a separate sting operation in which deputies posed as minors online and arrested six men accused of trying to meet a child. In the Perez-Robiero case, the sheriff said the early evidence points to a person who knew the child or her family, a pattern advocates say is common in child abuse investigations. Debbie Butler, with Guardians for New Futures, said children may not understand what is happening to them, especially when the person involved is someone familiar to the family.
Butler said abuse cases often involve pressure, secrecy and trust built over time. She said predators can use family access or social access to isolate a child and keep the abuse hidden. Budensiek said detectives are reviewing the child’s account and the circumstances around the mother’s discovery. Investigators also are looking at whether the alleged abuse began when the girl was 10, as the sheriff said they currently believe. Authorities did not say whether digital evidence, interviews with other family members or other records had been collected. They also did not say whether any additional suspects or witnesses are part of the investigation.
Perez-Robiero remained in the Martin County Jail without bond after his arrest. The sheriff’s office said an ICE detainer was filed, meaning federal immigration authorities have asked to be notified before he is released from local custody. Such a detainer does not resolve the local criminal case, which remains in Martin County. Prosecutors are expected to review the sheriff’s office investigation and court records to determine how the case moves forward. No court date was listed in the sheriff’s public account, and officials did not say whether Perez-Robiero had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The case has drawn attention because of the girl’s age, the alleged length of the abuse and the way authorities say the contact was discovered. Budensiek said the mother’s report led to the arrest. Butler said children in similar cases may be too young to understand the abuse or too afraid to speak. “When you think of 12-year-old or even younger, these children don’t really know sometimes that what is happening to them is really wrong,” Butler said. The sheriff’s office said it will continue to investigate the timeline and the suspect’s connection to the child and her family.
Perez-Robiero was still jailed without bond as of the sheriff’s latest public update. The next step is review by prosecutors and court officials as investigators continue gathering evidence in the Martin County case.
Author note: Last updated May 14, 2026.